C’est Bon Kultur (CBK) became an official association in 2003, with the formal purpose of creating and promoting comics that are visually interesting and that approach comics storytelling in experimental ways. It is now 15 years later and with approximately 60 publications and about as many exhibitions behind us, we have a big selection of comics and artworks in storage that we’d like to share with the world.

Nostalgia for some, news to others, we promise an interesting art experience. Big names in experimental and art comics will share the space with local talents and several generations of the CBA editorial crew. Over the years, we’ve strived to add something special in the translation from the comics page to the exhibition wall space. From acetone prints to apocalyptic scrap metal installations with DIY polaroids, blown-up postcards and blood-splattered plastic covers. One motto that runs through it all is: COMICS AS ART, ART AS COMICS.

Welcome to the opening of the exhibition FRAGMENTS, which is also the release of the brand new CBA vol 38|39!

Feb 9, 17-22 @ HYBRIDEN (Mitt Möllan, Bangatan 5)

The past can be found in the form of small parts inside your body. Some parts are impossible to get rid of. Maybe they’re important, maybe they’re not. But they do exist for a reason. What is your reason?Even though your past time is out of reach, there is always the possibility of deciding how it will look in front of other people. What would your fragments look like if you showed them in public?

The exhibition will showcase fragments of the comics from the new issue, and there is also an interactive element. Join us by drawing your own memories on the wall during the exhibition opening.

We have crayons!

Christina Cromnow, the main editor of vol 38|39, says about the theme:“I’m remembering my own life in fragments. There are only pieces left of my past time. But what interests me is just that, WHICH pieces are the ones remaining? And why? And what story does all of this tell? The simple story should be that whatever’s left are the moments that made an impression. It doesn’t matter if it’s nonsense or vitality. It’s there because it influenced me somehow.”

Markus Samnell, also active in industrial acts such as Feberdröm and Khmer Noir, shows parts of ongoing work called Demonology, dealing with demonic metaphors and hallucinatory states as steps towards understanding (or misunderstanding) our existence. The work is built around fragments – video, image, text, sound. During the evening he will also do a musical performance with his solo project Stygian Springs, a mix of industrial and apocalyptic restaurant music.

Nollmeridianen
Videokonst

Joel Danielsson & Louise Öhman is a duo who recently graduated in free art at the University of Bergen (Norway). They work with themes surrounding the phenomena of image, strata and spectrality.

I don’t want to dream is a comic of 43 pages, entirely painted in oil, by Greek artist Spyros Verykios. It is a metaphysical horror story about how an experiment with mind-expanding drugs has unexpected consequences – or is it something else entirely? The borders between what is dream, reality and bedtime story are blurred sometimes.

In this very special exhibition, we will show a selection of the original paintings from this comic. There will also be some unrelated bonus material included, such as the originals from another of Verykios’ stories, published back in CBA vol 7.

Let’s plunge together into the pits of madness. Let’s watch the dissolution of reality, let’s dance with clear heads and see where it takes us. Let’s travel the river hiding in the desert sands until the wind rises and we reach the final collapse. Let’s look deep into the eye of the tiger. And see afterwards if we dare to dream.

The exhibition opening is also the release party (or as we like to say, R’lyehsfest) for the new CBA vol 36|37 (pre-order it here) where I don’t want to dream is included, along with three other stories, by Akab [IT], Elena Guidolin [IT] and Serena Schinaia [IT]. Cover by Radovan Popović [RS]. The theme for this volume is In the pits of madness.

Here are some samples from the exhibition (and you can find more from the book at our Instagram):

This postcard turned up out of the depths of social media a while ago. It was made by Danijel Savović for the CB Prioritaire exhibition way back in the past, but never sent to us. Better late than lost: